View clinical trials related to Depression, Involutional.
Filter by:This study will examine how depression may influence the way the brain regulates heart function. Some researchers believe that depression may be a risk factor for some forms of heart disease. Right-handed healthy volunteers and patients with major depressive disorder who are between 18 and 50 years of age may be eligible for this study. Female candidates must be premenopausal. Patients must currently be experiencing a major depressive episode. All candidates are screened with a medical history and physical examination, electrocardiogram, and blood and urine tests. They are interviewed about their psychiatric and medical history, current emotional state and sleep pattern, and family history of psychiatric disorders. They complete symptoms ratings scales for depression, anxiety, and negative thinking; history of alcohol and tobacco use; level of physical activity; socioeconomic status; overall level of functioning; and, for depressed patients, their depression type. Women candidates have their menstrual phase determined by the timing of their recent menstrual cycles and may undergo testing to determine the time of their ovulation. Participants undergo the following tests and procedures: - 12-minute walk/run test - This test measures the subject's general level of cardiorespiratory fitness. In a gymnasium in the NIH Clinical Center, the subject walks or runs as far as he or she can in 12 minutes. Blood pressure is measured before and after the exercise test, and heart rate is measured during exercise with a monitor worn around the chest. - Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) - A brain MRI scan is done to obtain pictures of the brain anatomy. Electrocardiogram leads are placed on the subject's chest to measure the electrical activity of the heart during the scanning session. The subject lies on a narrow bed in the scanner, which is a narrow metal cylinder about 6 feet long. The scanning session takes up to 90 minutes. - Positron emission tomography (PET) - PET scanning produces images of the brain's blood flow. The subject is injected with a radiotracer (small amount of drug labeled with a radioactive substance) that is detected by a special camera to trace blood flow. During the scanning session, the subject lies still on a table. EKG leas are placed on the subject's chest to measure the electrical activity of the heart during the scan. A mask with holes for the eyes, ears, and mouth is placed over the subject's face to keep the head f...
This study examines if Yohimbine, when given during the sleep cycle, will improve symptoms of depression within a matter of hours. Purpose: This study will examine whether the drug yohimbine, given at a specific time during the sleep cycle, produces chemical changes in the brain similar to those that occur with sleep deprivation. It will also see if yohimbine can induce rapid (next day) antidepressant effects in patients with major depression. Total sleep deprivation for 36 hours improves mood in most patients with major depression in a matter of hours, but the response is usually short-lived. Understanding the chemical changes that occur in the body during sleep deprivation may help in the development of a rapidly acting antidepressant.Patients with major depressive disorder between 18 and 65 years of age may be eligible for this study. Candidates are screened with a medical and psychiatric history, physical examination, electrocardiogram, and blood and urine tests. Participants are hospitalized at the NIH Clinical Center for the study, as follows: Drug-free period: Patients are tapered off their anti-depression medications and remain drug-free for 1 week before beginning study phase 1. Study phase 1: Patients undergo sleep deprivation for 36 hours. Those whose depression improves with sleep deprivation initially and then worsens continue to phase 2. The day after sleep deprivation, patients undergo a lumbar puncture (spinal tap). For this test, a local anesthetic is given and a needle is inserted in the space between the bones in the lower back where the cerebrospinal fluid circulates below the spinal cord. A small amount of fluid is collected through the needle. Study phase 2: Patients spend 1 night in the sleep lab. A catheter (plastic tube) is placed in a vein in each arm-one to give yohimbine and the other to draw blood samples. A small monitor cuff is placed on a finger to measure the patient's blood pressure and blood oxygen levels during the night. While asleep, the patient receives a dose of yohimbine or placebo, given over 3 minutes. A lumbar puncture is done the following morning. Patients receive no medications for 6 days, and then the sleep lab procedure is repeated. Patients who received yohimbine in the previous experiment are switched to placebo, and those who were given placebo are switched to yohimbine.
Serotonin is a chemical involved in regulation of emotions, anxiety, sleep, stress hormones, and other body functions. The purpose of this study is to use a procedure called tryptophan depletion to study the function of serotonin in people with depression and in healthy volunteers. Major depressive disorder (MDD) has been associated with reduced functioning of central serotonergic systems. Tryptophan depletion (TD) is a procedure used to investigate the relationship between serotonergic function and depression. Evidence suggests that the mood lowering effects of TD depend upon family history and differences in genes for a specific protein called 5-HTTLPR. Healthy females with a particular gene for 5-HTTLPR and a family history of mood disorders appear to be at a greater risk for the development of depressive symptoms during TD. This study will use positron emission tomography (PET) scans of the brain to investigate the effect of variant 5-HTTLPR genotypes on response to TD. The relationship between 5-HTTLPR genotypes and the effect of TD on brain activity in individuals with different 5-HTTLPR genes will be determined. This study will also examine how the reduced serotonin function that occurs in MDD affects the brain's response to sensory stimulation. Participants in this study will be screened by telephone about their psychiatric and medical history, current emotional state, anxiety and sleep patterns, and family history of psychiatric disorders. At study entry, participants will have an interview, physical examination, electrocardiogram (EKG), and blood and laboratory tests. Menstruating women will have a pregnancy test and tests to determine menstrual phase and time of ovulation. At the second clinic visit, participants will undergo tests of intelligence and cognitive abilities and a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan of the brain. Prior to Visits 3 and 4, participants will collect their saliva and urine. Menstruating women will have a pregnancy test. At Visits 3 and 4, participants will undergo TD studies and PET scanning. During one of these visits, participants will take capsules of an amino acid. On the other day, they will take lactose capsules. Throughout the study, participants will be asked about their emotional state, anxiety, ability to concentrate, and well being.
In this study researchers would like to learn more about the low levels of bone mineral density seen in approximately half of women in their forties diagnosed as currently having or previously had depression. Bones are always undergoing a process of building (formation) and breakdown (resorption). This process is referred to as bone remodeling. When more bone is formed than resorbed, the density (level of calcium) in bone increases and the bones become stronger. However, if more bone is resorbed than formed the density of bone decreases and the bones become weak. This condition is called osteoporosis. It is unknown if women with depression have decreased bone mineral density as a result of too much breakdown of bone or not enough building. It is important to know the cause of low bone mineral density because it will influence the way a patient is treated. Medications like bisphosphonates are used when there is too much bone breakdown. Growth hormone replacement can be given in cases where there is not enough bone production. Presently, bone biopsy and a procedure known as histomorphometry can determine what processes are going on in bones. Researchers have decided to use a sample of bone (biopsy) from part of the hip bone (iliac crest). In addition, researchers will collect a sample of bone marrow (the soft tissue found in the center of bones) to tell them more about the biochemical, cellular, and molecular processes that may be contributing to the problem of decreased bone density in depressed premenopausal women.